Flexible hole ball with angled hole walls

ABSTRACT

A ball that is pliable, seamless, flexible and durable that has a seamless, uniformly thick outer shell and where the shell has one or more holes formed in the outer shell and where the walls of the holes are angled inwardly toward the center of the ball in order to increase air flow into the ball.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This application claims priority to previously filed provisionalapplication number 61/409,542, filed 2010 Nov. 3 and is a ContinuationIn Part of Non-Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 13/288,897 filed2011 Nov. 3. The present invention relates generally to the field ofballs for sports and other recreational activities. In particular, thepresent invention relates to a ball for use in practicing sports. Theball of the present invention includes a hollow, seamless, outer shelldefining one or more holes with angled walls. The ball of the presentinvention is highly durable and returns to its spherical shape whendeformed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Practice is essential to improving one's proficiency at sports. Forexample, softball and baseball batters develop their skills byparticipating in batting practice. The same is true for all ball sports,including softball, baseball and golf, just to name a few. Obviouslypractice is extremely important for baseball and softball as can beevidenced by the multitude of batting cages and the number of productsavailable to help batters achieve better performance. Also, practice istrue for golf as well as can be evidenced by the plethora of drivingranges and practice fields that exist around the world. A major problemwith using a regulation ball for batting and swinging practice is thatthe ball typically travels great distances when hit by batters, hittersor golfers. This means that in order to avoid property damage largespaces are required for practice. It is expensive to design and buildthese types of hitting facilities and is also expensive for the playerto use these facilities. Therefore, it is a goal of this invention toprovide a product that would allow athletes a way to practice theirswing and hitting ability with a ball with a life like feel that doesnot require a great deal of space.

Another goal of this invention is to provide a soft, pliable, virtuallyindestructible ball that is designed to travel shorter distances whenhit that will accommodate use in confined spaces and will also enhancestrength and conditioning in the user. Because of the ball's uniquedesign it will fly shorter distances and the shorter the distancetraveled by the ball will thus require less retrieval time by the user.

The ball of the present invention is designed mainly for use whenpracticing batting, hitting or swinging. A hole ball, or practice ballwith holes, currently exists and even though there are many differentexisting practice balls, none of them are structurally the same as thepresent invention and none of them offer the benefits of the presentinvention. In particular, many existing holed balls are made from hardplastic or rubber and are manufactured in such a way that the balls areformed from two pieces that are then welded together along a weldedseam. This seam is a weak section of the ball and it is likely torupture when subjected to acute contact (e.g., when stepped on or whenstruck repeatedly). These balls are manufactured in two pieces, orsides. Once the sides are manufactured they a welded together. This isdue to manufacturing limitations that do not allow for a single, rigidball to be manufactured in one piece. This past limitation has recentlybeen overcome and currently there is a single pieced, seamless holedball available in the market. Yet, this ball is still rigid, stiff andinflexible and still is subject to denting, breaking and eventuallybecoming useless.

The ball of the present invention is a hollow, pliable, seamless holeball. The closest prior art of which Applicant is aware are the ballsused in WIFFLE ® BALL and PICKLE-BALL®. However, those products are notpliable whereas the ball of the present invention is pliable and soft.Additionally, these types of balls are usually seamed and tend to breakapart. Additionally, these existing balls are typically very light andthe shell is often very thin. This trait has several drawbacks. First,it is extremely difficult to use this type of ball in windy conditions.Next, because existing balls are so light they are difficult to throw.Also, when they are hit or struck they feel different due to their lightweight. This causes the user to have a different feeling when practicingwith these types of balls.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a highly durable, pliable, soft, holed, hollowball that is designed to return to its spherical shape when deformedthrough contact such as hitting, striking or kicking. The ball of thepresent invention can also withstand more intense contact withoutrupturing or losing its shape due to its thicker outer shell. In fact,the ball of the present invention is specifically designed to deform andto then return to its original shape. The holes of the ball of thisinvention are also unique in that that the sides of the holes areslanted, or angled so that more air is drawn into the ball. Thisadditional air causes turbulence inside the ball and as a result slowsthe ball down and ultimately reduces the flight distance. The ball ofthe present invention allows the user to develop the strength andcoordination needed to excel at sports while eliminating the need for alarge and/or outdoor practice facility. The ball is constructed frommaterials that are pliable, durable and environmentally-friendly. Theball of the present invention can be made in multiple sizes for use in avariety of sports, including softball, baseball, cricket, soccer,tennis, golf and any other sport in which a ball is used. The ball ofthe present invention can also be used in recreational activities or fortraining purposes and can be effectively thrown or hit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects of the present invention will become readilyapparent by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevated view of the highly durable hole ball.

FIG. 2 is a view of the hole ball when struck.

FIG. 3 is a view of the hole ball when squeezed by hand.

FIG. 4 is a close up view of the hole design of the present ball.

FIG. 5 is close up partial view of FIG. 4 of the hole design of thepresent ball showing the angled design of the hole.

FIG. 6 is a view of the hole showing air movement into the holes due tothe angled configuration of the hole.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The ball 1 of the present invention includes a holed shell 10 designedto withstand contact without rupturing. The construction materials andthe design of the ball 1 of the present invention are chosen such thatwhen struck the ball 1 will travel a much shorter distance than a rigidholed ball. The holed shell ball 1 of the present invention is made frompliable, flexible, durable environmentally safe material that iscontinuous and thus no seam exists anywhere on the ball. It is alsosubstantially heavier than currently existing balls. Finally, the outerperimeter of the walls 30 of the holes 20 of the present invention areangled inwardly from the outer shell towards the center of the ball.This design facilitates an increase in the air flow 50 entering the ballthus slowing the ball down and further limiting flight distance.

The holed ball of the present invention is uniform in thickness. Thisshell 10 material is also soft and resilient so that when struck anddeformed it will continually return to its original shape. Because thematerial is soft it will not injure a player if he is struck by the ballor when it is caught. Also, it is virtually indestructible. In apreferred embodiment the outer shell of the ball is made from a PVC,non-phthalate material. It is all preferable that the material becontinuously uniform in thickness with the shell thickness being atleast one millimeter or more. Preferably the outer shell 10 of the ballis between two millimeters to four millimeters thick. However, thisouter shell 10 may be thicker or thinner than this preferred dimensionand it is noted that any differing shell thickness will not detract fromthe inventive scope of product.

This shell 10 is also somewhat heavy. When used in the baseball typeconfiguration, that is, the ball is approximately the size of aregulation baseball, currently used balls are typically around 15 to 20grams and are commonly known as wiffel balls. These balls are generallyformed by two separate halves that are then welded together. The weightof the shell 10 of the present invention is substantially heavier thanthis with a preferred weight being between 70 to 80 grams for a baseballor softball sized ball. When the ball is configured to a smaller size,for example, one used for golf, the preferred weight is between 20 and25 grams. However, it could be heavier or lighter depending on thethickness of the material used. Because the material is equallydistributed about the ball it has uniform weight that enables the ballto fly straighter. Also because of this additional weight a user is ableto throw the ball further, straighter and longer than the currentlyavailable plastic holed ball, and this is true for the golf ball sizedball as well. However, when any sized ball of the present invention isstruck, for example, with a bat or a golf club, the external shell 10collapses and therefore, the distance traveled is reduced.

Also because of this unique design the ball feels more like a real ballwhen either thrown or hit. This allows for a more life-like feeling whenused during practice. This is important for all sports, especiallybaseball, softball and golf. Furthermore, when the ball is hit theenergy is absorbed into the ball and thus if flies a shorter distancewhen struck while still providing a more real, life like feeling to theuser. The additional weight of the ball of the present invention givesthe user a more life-like feel when compared to balls of the chosensport. Other balls currently available are much lighter and do notprovide this same feel.

Finally, this unique ball is safer to use indoors due to the fact thatit is soft and flexible. When struck with a traditional hole ball it canbe quite painful and in fact these balls are known to draw blood. Forexample, when a user is struck with a traditional holed ball that hasbeen hit the ball strikes the user and the user's skin will actuallyenter the hole causing the outer perimeter of the hole to perforate theskin causing a tear or cut into the user's skin thus causing the user tooccasionally bleed. Conversely, the balls of the present invention aresoft and collapsible so that when a user is struck with the ball theball collapses and does not harm or injure the user.

The outer, continuous shell 10 is molded, or blow formed into a ballshape, thus creating a hollow inner cavity. After forming the ball has asolid outer surface. That is, it is formed in one piece and not two,eliminating the need to fuse or weld separate halves together. Currentlyin order to create the present ball the holes must be cut in the outershell 10 in a separate process. This new process will use specialcutting tools and is hoped to make manufacturing more cost efficient andshould eliminate another manufacturing step.

One of skill in the art will appreciate the fact that the holes increasethe drag that the ball experiences when struck. Also, the pliability ofthe construction materials causes the ball to undergo anenergy-absorbing deformation when struck. This causes further shorteningof the ball's flight path. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the holes arespaced symmetrically across the hollow shell 10. However, it is notedthat the hole configuration may be modified and is not limited by thepresent disclosure and description. Any number of hole patterns could beutilized and in fact, the holes could be any of a number of designs orpatterns and are not limited to a circular hole shape. Further, thenumber of holes is not limited. That is, there could be one or moreholes in the ball and there is no limit to the final number of holesadded. Preferably the ball has at least six holes but not more than ten.Obviously the ball could have more or less holes depending on theapplication.

The holes of the present invention are unique in that they are not justsimple holes but rather have angled or slanted side walls 30. As can beseen in FIGS. 4 through 6, the ball 1 of the present invention featuresa number of holes 20. Specifically, FIG. 5 is a close up view of thehole design of the ball 1. As can be seen from the figure, the wall 30forming the hole is slightly slanted, or angled in towards the center ofthe ball 1. This angle can be anywhere from 30 to 75 degrees but ispreferably from 45 to 60 degrees. This angle is uniform around theentire perimeter of the hole 20. This angled hole wall is only possiblewhen the shell 10 is of sufficient thickness to allow for the creationof the angled hole wall 30. FIG. 5 is close up view of the hole designand angled wall 30 of the present ball 1 showing the angled wall 30design of the hole 20. This unique angular configuration creates moreair turbulence and allows for more air 50 to enter the ball and thusslows the ball down. FIG. 6 is a view of the hole 20 with the angledhole wall 30 showing the increased air movement 50 into the holes 20 dueto the angled configuration of the hole wall 30. Air flow and turbulenceincrease within the ball 10 greatly reduces the flight distance. Theincreased weight of the present ball provides a more life-like feel whenhitting while maintaining the limited flight distance.

It is readily apparent that the features described above have theadvantage of wide commercial utility. The ball 1 has a more life-likefeel, it is relatively heavy due to the thickness of the outer shell 10and the angled hole wall 30 design decreases flight distance byincreasing air turbulence 50 inside the ball. It should be understoodthat the specific features described are intended to be representativeonly, as certain modifications within the scope of these teachings willbe apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the dimensionscould be varied. Accordingly, reference should be made to the claims indetermining the full scope of the invention.

1. A ball, said ball comprising: a pliable, seamless, durable, resilient outer shell where said outer shell has a shell thickness that is between 1 and 5 millimeters thick; one or more holes formed in said outer shell where said holes have perimeter walls that are angled inwardly towards a center of said ball.
 2. The ball of claim 1 where said outer shell thickness is between 1.5 and 2.5 millimeters.
 3. The ball of claim 1 where the ball has limited flight path when struck but has a longer and straighter flight path when thrown.
 4. The ball of claim 1 where said outer shell is made from a PVC, non-phthalate material.
 5. The ball of claim 1 where said outer shell has uniform thickness.
 6. The ball of claim 1 where said ball is approximately the size of a golf ball and that weighs at least 20 grams or more and where said shell thickness is at least 2.75 millimeters or more.
 7. The ball of claim 1 where said ball is approximately the size of a base ball and that weighs at least 70 grams or more and where said shell thickness is at least 2.5 millimeters or less.
 8. The ball of claim 1 where said ball is approximately the size of a soft ball and that weighs at least 80 grams or more and where said shell thickness is at least 2.5 millimeters or less.
 9. The ball of claim 1 where said hole wall angles are at an angle of between 30 and 75 degrees.
 10. The ball of claim 1 where said hole wall angles are at an angle of between 45 and 60 degrees. 